Fouetijs to edgae males



(No Model.)

L. MOMURRAY.

Patented Jan. 26, 1886.

WITNESSES INVENTOR.

2o vessel designed to hold fruit.

35 is ascertained.

4o them hermetically.

design to make of suitable sizeto hold l'rom LOUIS MCBIURRAY, OFBALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR OF THREF- FUUBTIIS TO EDGAR MALIN, ARTHUR\V. LAXVTON, AND LOUIS IlOIICrlIiON, ALL OF SAME PLACE.

APPARATUS FOR PRESERVING BY GAS.

ICATIUN forming part of Letters Patent No. 334,966, dated January 26.1886.

A ndication filed June 20, 1984. Serial No. 135,474. (No model.)

for .Kee nin and Itrescrvim Fruits and Ye e- 5 I a a: e

tables, of which the toll tion.

My invention relates, especially, to such articles of food, in theircrude state-such as owing is a specificastrawberries, peaches, &c.asthey come to market from the tree or vine.

The following is a full description of an apparatus and process foreffecting the purpose illustrated by the accompanying drawings, of

which Figure 1 is an upright view of the apparatus, showing the pump,portable vessels, and intermediate ta-nk,with pressure-gages andconnecting-pipes. Fig. 2 is atop view of a square Fig. 3 is a view of aspecially-constrncted can or vessel for convenience in preparing foodarticles for transportation. I

In the drawings, A represents apump, con- 2 ncctred by the pipe a to atank or other receptacle containing a purifying-gas. This gas may bemade in any way suitable for the purpose.

5 is a large tank or receptacle provided with the cover 0, by which itmay be closed tightly. The tank B communicates with the pump A by meansof the pipe I). This tank is also provided with the pressuregage (it, bymeans of which the pressure of gasin the tank tank Ihave p aced thecockc, to allow the air to escape as the gas is forced into the tank.

l.) I) are portable vessels, made ot'metal,and provided withthc covers SS, to close and seal These receivingwessels i one to four baskets oimarket size.

(I is a pipe connecting the small portable peaches ol' the ordinarycaskswiththelargctank l3. Uponany portion of this pipe (1', I place theprcssurcgagel1), and connect the portable tanks with the pipe (I bymeans ofthe coupling 0, so as to connect or disconnect the portablevessels 1) I) from the .At or nearthe bottom oi the pipe (1 at pleasure.The portable casks are each provided with the cock 1', to open or closecommunication with the tank B and gas-supply, and also with the cocks i,to allow the air to escape as the gas under pressure enters the vessels1). I have also provided the apparatus with the cockfin the pipe (1- toopen or closeot't' the supply ot'gas from the main receptacleto whichthe pipe leads, (but notshown in the drawings) the cocky in the pipe bleading from the pump to the tank B, to open or sh utoft communicationbetween the pump and the tank B, the cock h inthe pipe at to closecommunication between the tank B and the portable vessels I), and alsothe cock is in the same pipe d, which may be dispensed with, it 6desired, but is used to save any waste of gas between the cock It andthe end of the pipe (Z, when the small casks are disconnected.

A can of special construction is shown in Fig. 3, which Ldesire to makea part of my invention. This can I construct of heavv tin "or lightiron, galvanized, if preferred. At the top of the can I havej'n'ovided acollar, H, upon which a screw is cut, to receive the cover S, whichcontains a corresponding female screw. This cover is secured upon thecollar, at the bottom of which and surrounding the collar I place anordinary i1idia-rubber gasket, or make a joint with lead in the ordinaryway. To this can I attach the cocks i and i, as in the others, andprovide the connecting-pipe with the coupling c, to connect anddisconnect the can from the pipe. In a can constructed in this way thefruit or other article of food may be put through the opening at the topand closed for transportation by the screwvessels has attained thedesired height.

close the cock I in the pipe d. The cockf in the pipe a is then opened,and the operator works the pump by the handle or by any suitable powerapplied thereto. The gases thus drawn through the pump are forced intothe cylinder ortank B until the air is expelled, when the cock 0 in thetank B is closed. The

.operation of the pump is then continued until pipe b is then closed,leaving the tank B filled with a preservinggas under high pressure. Ithen prepare my portable tanks by placing the fruit or vegetables withinthem and closing them tightly with their covers S S. They are thenconnected to the pipe d by means of the coupling e. The cocks t and z"are then opened and the fruit or vegetables are ready to receive thegas. I now open the cook or cocks in the pipe d, allowing the gas toenter the portabletanks D until the air has escaped, when the cocks iare closed, the gas continues to enter under pressure from the tank B,and by watching the pressure-gage E, I. ascertain when the pressure ofgas within the portable At this point all the-cocks between the portabletanks D and the tank B are closed, the tanks disconnected by looseningthe coupling 6, and the portable vessels retain the fruit or vegetablesurrounded by the preserving-gas at high pressure, and are ready fortransportation.

It will be seen that the food articles may be supplied with thepreserving gas direct... from the pump to the portable tanks D D withoutthe intermediate tank, B. We prefer, however, to use this tank for thereason that the gases'entering the portabletanks from the tank B wouldprobably tlow more steadily, and it also affords means for filling thetank I B with a supply of gas under pressure, and

having it ready when the portable tanks are ready to receive it. It willalso be seen that the tank B may be used as a preserving-tank forkeeping articles of food by taking off the cover and filling the tankwith the food article 'to be preserved, then closing the same. Thus thetank may be filled with the gas and surround the article of food thereinunder high pressure, induced therein by the pump and kept there untilrequired for sale.

I am not able to state at present the exact pressure required for eachand all classes of 1 am, however, prepared to state that in myexperiments upon strawberries I have found a pressure of gas from ten tofifteen pounds toact perfectly, and the goods so prepared andkept havecome out dry withoutappareut moisture and in good salable condition.

I am aware that it is not new to preserve vegetable and animalsubstances for food when desiccated by expelling the air from thevessels in which they are inclosed, by allowing gas to enter which willnot support combustion, and substituting this gas'in place of the airthus expelled; but this is not my invention.

I am also aware that articles of food have been placed within closedvessels in bulk and a preserving-gas allowed to surround said articlesunder such' pressure as may be obtained from the gasometer; but thispressure I believe to be insuflicient for the purpose. There must be agreater pressure than can be obtained in thisway, in order that the gasmay not "only expel all the air in the cylinder,

but may also surround the food in close con tact therewith under aconsiderable pressure to maintain and hold the gases in close andpermanent contact withsthe article of foodto be kept, and hencethenecessity of providing I a pump or other equivalent method o'f inducingand maintaining a higher pressure thereon.

WVhile the process as well as the apparatus is a distinctive part of myinvention, 1 shall confine my claims in this patent to the apparatus,and make the process the subject ofa separate application.

What I claim is-- 1. In an apparatus for keeping and preserving fruitsand vegetables, the pump A, and preserving-vessel D, in combination withthe intermediate gas-receiving tank, B, the said tank provided with thecook a, andpressuregage, as described and set forth.

2. In an apparatusfor keeping and preserving fruits and vegetables, thecombination of the force-pump A, the intermediate gasreceiving tank, B,and pipe (1,, provided with the coupling 6, and pressure-gage E,arranged and operating as set forth. I

3. In an apparatus for keeping and preserving fruits and vegetables, thecombination IIO of the pump A, intermediate tank, B, having the cock 0,connecting-pipes b and d, and cooks g and h, substantially as set forth.

LOU lS MGMURRAY. Witnesses:

BERNARD A RoGGE, GEo. SAVAGE.

